Ashok Lavasa protested clean chit to Niti, PMO without full EC meet

NEW DELHI: Election commissioner Ashok Lavasa had expressed reservations against the poll panel giving a clean chit to Niti Aayog and the PMO over sharing of district-level data for PM Narendra Modi’s election meetings wi- thout the full commission discussing the think-tank’s reply. He also insisted on seeking specific comments from Niti Aayog on the so-called facts and allegations made in the complaint before consideration by a meeting of the full commission. Sources in Niti Aayog told TOI on Sunday that the row was a “non-issue” as it was normal practice, followed over the years by the erstwhile Planning Commission, to provide taluk and district level data on request, including for campaign related tours. “Such requests are handled at the level of junior officers itself,” an official said, adding that no distinction was made between official and campaign visits of the PM under the model code. The complaint to the EC had alleged that Niti Aayog’s act of sharing data on PMO’s request regarding districts where Modi was to address election rallies was a violation of the model code of conduct provision that restrains ministers from combining official and campaign tours. The EC had, while announcing disposal of the complaint on May 12, said that an EC order on October 7, 2014, had exempted the PM from operation of the provision. However, Lavasa later registered his protest against the complaint being dismissed without the commission meeting to discuss the clarification sought by EC. The election commissioner — who has been protesting against his dissent on clean chits given to PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah in 5 MCC cases not being brought out in the final order — is said to have registered his protest.

Lavasa has argued that if the decision to write to Niti Aayog for clarification was taken in a commission meeting, the final disposal should also have been at such a meeting. He is also reported to have pointed out that the comments submitted by the think-tank were not specific to the incidents cited in the complaint. A full commission meeting was subsequently held to review the case and it was decided to seek further clarifications from Niti Aayog.